Self Help and Treatment for Nail Biters

How Can I Learn to Stop Biting My Nails on My Own?

Some self help options for conquering an undesirable nail
biting habit include:

Get
a manicure, or at least keep your nails immaculately cut and maintained.
Not having anything obvious to pull at can help to reduce urges to bite,
as can your desire to keep your already great looking nails in good shape.

Wear
nail polish – same reason as above

Wear
gloves or band aids on your fingers while at home, or at times when you
have a tendency to bite (this can help you to break your habit)

Keep
something on hand to keep your fingers busy whenever you feel an urge to
bite your nails, such as a squeeze toy

If
you bite your nails in times of stress, learn other types of relaxation
exercises, like deep breathing techniques, and apply them whenever you get
an urge to bite

Apply
commercially available solutions to your finger nails. These solutions are
designed to help people break free from nail biting and once applied to a
finger nail will adhere like nail polish and will make finger nails taste
awful

Keep
a journal of your nail biting, so you’ll know exactly when and where
you’re most likely to engage in your habit. Once you know what prompts you
to bite, you can minimize your exposure to these types of temptations1

I Can’t Stop on My Own – Are There Any Effective Treatments
out There?

If you find that going it alone isn’t working or if you’re
really worried about your nail biting and the effect it has on your life, you
can and should seek out professional help to get past it (especially since in
some cases it can be a sign of OCD, which does certainly require treatment)

The most common types of psychotherapies offered for nail
biters are typically types of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) such as habit
reversal training or stimulus control therapy.

Habit Reversal Training – Teaches people to become more
aware of their nail biting habits, and once always very aware of impulses to
bite, to answer these impulses with a new, learned, healthier habit response.

Stimulus Control Therapy – In stimulus control therapy you
are trained to become very attuned to the outside stimuli that trigger your
impulses to bite your nails. Once you know what triggers your behaviors, you
can take steps to minimize your exposure to these triggers, or be better
prepared for such situations.

Medications – In some cases, people with severe compulsive
nail biting habits may benefit from medications, typically of the SSRI class of
anti depressants. Medications are rarely effective without accompanying
therapy, however.2